Once you join Doula UK you will begin the Mentoring and Recognition process as a mentored doula in order to become fully recognised by Doula UK.
The total cost of mentoring to become a recognised birth doula is £300, and it is £300 to become a recognised postnatal doula. Should you wish to become a recognised birth and postnatal doula the total cost is £600. The fee is paid directly to your doula mentor who is required by Doula UK to offer you the opportunity to make payments in installments.
Members may choose whether to become recognised as either a birth or a postnatal doula, or both. It is also possible to become recognised in one and later commence mentoring in another.
Once you join Doula UK you will also have access to the Members’ section of the website. Here you will find a list of around sixty Doula UK Mentors (DMs) each of whom has at least two years’ experience and over 20 birth doula jobs and over 200 hours of postnatal doula experience. They are accountable to Doula UK and its Code of Conduct and Philosophy and are supported by the Mentoring Coordinator. Finding someone right for you is more important than being geographically close as most of the mentoring is done over the phone and/or via zoom. We suggest you contact a couple of DMs to see if they have availability and are a good fit.
Once you have found a mentor, you will then need to complete the Mentee Introduction Form (a sort of Q&A about your personal path to becoming a doula), which you will send to your chosen mentor. Once they have this, you will have an initial conversation and should you both be in agreement that the mentoring relationship will go ahead, they will activate your Find a Doula page on the Doula UK website as a mentored doula and add you to our members facebook group.
The Doula Mentor is there to support and guide the new doula through debriefing, discussion and reflection after each birth or postnatal job. Once the doula mentor feels that the mentee is ready to become a fully recognised doula the final interview will complete the process.
You may also choose a mentor from the Doula UK Course Providers who are signed up to Doula UK Mentoring.
